Faf du Plessis ruled out of PSL 2026 owing to injury

Faf du Plessis ruled out of PSL 2026 [Source: @RayhamUnplugged/x]

Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the upcoming PSL 2026 season. The former South African captain was also ruled out of the SA20 2025-26 midway into the season earlier this month after suffering a ligament tear on his right thumb.

Faf du Plessis is yet to attain full recovery from his injury, and the 41-year-old now requires surgical repair. In the SA20 2025-26 season in South Africa, he was replaced by Leus du Plooy in the JSK franchise.

After rejecting IPL 2026, Faf du Plessis now out of PSL

Former South African captain Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the PSL 2026 season owing to his injury, as reported by Geo News. It comes as a huge blow for Pakistan fans and the PSL as a whole, with Faf du Plessis’ absence depriving the tournament of one of the most high-profile overseas stars.

Late last year, the legendary South African cricketer had opted himself out of the IPL 2026 auction, shortly after he was released by the Delhi Capitals franchise. Instead, the 41-year-old chose to play the PSL 2026 season in Pakistan, thus making his return to the Pakistan T20 tournament after a gap of five years.

Faf du Plessis last played PSL cricket back during the 2021 edition of the competition, doing so for the Quetta Gladiators franchise. To date, the South African run machine has featured in just six PSL games spanning two seasons for two different franchises, namely the Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi.

In five innings, Faf du Plessis managed to aggregate just 107 runs at a below par average of 21.40 and a strike rate of 122.98.

As of now, it remains to be seen how long Pakistan fans will have to wait once again to witness Faf du Plessis in PSL colours, with his injury setback halting what was shaping up to be a much-anticipated return to the league after several years.

Faf du Plessis’ JSK makes it to SA20 2025-26 playoffs

Faf du Plessis also left his Joburg Super Kings (JSK) franchise midway into the SA20 2025-26 season owing to his injury. Under his leadership, the JSK team started off with successive wins and were even placed at the top of the SA20 2025-26 points table at one stage.

However, in the second half of his brief stint, the JSK suffered some crushing defeats at the hands of MI Cape Town in both, home and away fixtures. Moreover, since his exit, JSK also lost to table-toppers Sunrisers Eastern Cape and to Pretoria Capitals to sustain four defeats in succession.

Under the leadership of stand-in skipper James Vince, JSK eventually outclassed Paarl Royals by 44 runs in Paarl in their final league stage match of the season. With 22 points courtesy of four wins and four defeats from 10 matches, the JSK franchise finished fourth on the six-team standings to qualify for the playoffs.

The JSK team, without Faf du Plessis, will now once again face Paarl Royals, albeit in the Eliminator match of the SA20 2025-26 season in Centurion on January 22.